Rotary car dumper



Feb. 2 1926. 1,571,233

A. F. CASE ROTARY CARDUMIER v Filed Jan. 11, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Quorum 3 Feb. 2, 1926.

A. F. CASE ROTARY CAR DUMPER Filed Jan. 11. 1924 I: ll...

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mm m I L I I /7 II- I Patented Feb. 2,.192 6.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFF cE.

ARTHUR F. CASE, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE WELLMAN-SEAVER-MOR- GAN COMPA NY, 0F CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORYORATION OF OHIO.

ROTARY CAR BUMPER.

Application filed January 11, 1924. Serial No. 685,504.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ARTHUR F. CASE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Rotary Car Dumpers, of which the following is a full clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to rotary car dumpers of the general type illustrated in Patent No. 1,407,926, granted in my name on the 28th day of February, 1922, and also in my pending application Serial No. 682,1t l, filed December 22, 1923.

A dumper of the typereferred to, includes a rotary cradle with a car supporting portion including preferably a platen which has a lateral motion when the rotating movement begins to allow one side of the car to besupported during the dumping motion, and includes also supporting rings engaging rollers on which the cradle as a whole turns under the actuation of motor driven pinions which engage arc-shaped racks, and additionally it includes car clamps which hold the car 011 the platen while the cradle is being rotated to dumping position and back again, these car clamps being preferably actuated by weights. What may be termed the dumping side of the cradle has an apron plate or dumping plate over which the coal or other contents of the car flows in the dumping operation.

It has been found that under certain conditions the discharge of coal from the cars is not entirely satisfactory when a car of substantially the length of the cradle is being dumped, particularly if the. car is of low or medium height. Under such conditions it has been found that when the cradle is being turned, the coal (for convenience the contents will be assumed to be coal) flows out of the top of the car onto the apron plate or dumping plate, and in seeking its natural angle of repose it not only flows forwardly on .the apron plate but also in an endwise direction beyond the ends of the car with the result that when the cradle reaches a given position, say about a 90 position, the coal flows off the ends of the apron plate or out of the ends of the cradle onto the foundation, and clogs the space at the ends of the cradle necessitatingits removal by digging it out. There is a further disadvantage also in the manner in which the coal piles up in the hoppers beneath the cradle. It was found that due to the fact that the coal was spread lengthwise of the apron plate for a distance somewhat greater than the length of the car, when the coal flows into the hoppers there was an uneven distribution of coal at the top, the coal piling up higher in the ends of the hoppers than at the middle.

I obviate these 'diificulties preferably by obtaining a partial dumping of the coal at or from the ends of the car while the cradle is being turned and before the coal from the middle portion of the car begins to slide over the forward edge of the apron, and this I accomplish in this instance by a specially constructed apron which permits the relatively early discharge of coal into the hoppers from the end portions of the car with out piling up or accumulating on the apron plate. In the particular embodiment of the invention herein illustrated the apron plate is provided with two discharge openings located near opposite ends and near the ends of a car of maximum length so that while the cradle is being turned, the coal which would ordinarily pile up on the ends of the apron plate passes through these openings into the hoppers, this coal lodging in the bottom of the hoppers. Then when the cradle is rotated further, the rest of the coal passes in the usual manner over the forward edge of the apron plate into the hoppers with the result that there is no spillage of the coal over the ends of the apron plate or from the ends of the cradle as was experienced heretofore, and when the car has been dumped there is a substantially uniform distribution of coal in the hoppers.

. The invention may be further briefly summarized as consisting in certain novel details of construction, and conbinations and arrangements of parts which will be described in the specification and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying sheets of drawings, wherein I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention, and with the parts of the cradle shown somewhat conventionally, for the sake of clearness, Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view substantially along the line 11 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows, the cradle and car being shown in upright position; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same looking toward the left of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an end view partly in section with the cradle partially tiirnedover; and Fig. Lisa View looking toward the left of Fig. 3. 'Beferri-ngnow to the drawings, 10 represents the cradle -containing a car 11 supported on a platen 12 which is movable in this instance to the right, as the sanie is viewed in Fig. 1, to bring the right hand side of the ear againStt-he supporting side of the cradle, this being, of course, on the damping side where the 'c'rad'le is provided wit-harhunpin apron 13over which the coal slides or flows when the cradle is rotated, a cradle of *this kind being adapted to be rotated through an are 0 15 about 180 from normal position "to dump the car and back again to normal position. The cradle is provided with end rings 14 'whichen'gag'e supporting rollers indicated at 15, and it is turned by motor driven pinion's engaging -arc-shaped rack segments 16. Any suitable car clamps -17 rnay beemployedfto hold "the caron the'cradle when the cradle is turned from *n'orinal position, which clamps are preferably actuated in themanner described in' iny patent 'and my application a-for'esaid.

The coal when dunuped from the cars is adaptedto be recei'ved in'suitabl'e hoppers 18 bene'ath the cradle and slightly 'to one side of the center line thereofyas indicated in --Figs. land 3.

As previo'iisly stated, during the dumping operation and before the *falrdumpin position is' reaohed, the coal'flows enter the ear onto t'l1e"'a pr(' n lpla'te 13, and in seeking its fiat'iiiala'ngle repose-it 'flows forwardly on the a ron as illustrated in 8, "but as itflows *in all "directions "in seeking its angle of repose. it "also flows endwis'e ofthe cradle "andbut of the ends thereof when 'a or substantially the length' of the cradle is being dumped,flpaiticu larly-ifthe car is les'si'tl ian maximum height, This outward flow of eo'al ffroin the ends 'dfjthe 'c'iadle no'tbei entirely prevehted b'yside 'plate's'pe'r- I'naiiently attached to the cradle at the "ends of the apron, for obviously sucl1=plates if of sufficient heightfor this :pur'bese would iproi'ect into theeradle too far to permit cars ofstafidard width'to be into thec'radle.

Narrow "side "plates which do not interferewiththe inovernent 'ofthe car 'into and out of the cradle are usually provided on the dumping side of these -cradles, as shown at 13*?i'n Figs. '1,'3and 4fthese side plates "being spmewhat enlarged and tapered inwardly"atthe outer endsf'as shown at 13 biitfas before stated, they can not have s'uf 'ficient depth or height to prevent the spillage ofeoal 'fromthe ends'of the cradle.

To prevent the outflow f coal the ends of the cradle, as just described, and

fals'o'to have a more'unifo'rm distribution of coal "in *the hoppers than "was ossible heretofoie, in accordance with the present embodiment of the invention 1 "place in the apron plate adjacent its ends, and preferably, just insidefof the rack segment 16, openings 19 which are so disposed and are of such a size that when the cradle is turned part way over, the coal which would otherwise spill out of the ends of the cradle passes through *'these openings into the hoppers 18, this occurring before the cradle has been turned to a "position to cause the coal from the middle portion of the car to how over the forward edge of the apron. In Figs?) and 4 I have shown the passage of this coal through these openings when the cradle has been given'about half its dumping nioven'ie'nt.

There is thus obtained 'a partial dumping of the coal when the'c'radle and car are part way turned over,-or a prelinnnar'y dumping of a sufficient amount of the coal which was in the end :portions of the car. to prevent the spillage froin-the ends ofthe cradle.

The coal which passes into the hoppers through the openings" 19 While thecradle is being turned to duinping posit-ion, lodges in the bottom portions of the hoppers 1'8, and whenthe main-body of the coal fiows'overtihe forward edge otthe apron intothe hoppers, the latter are filled substantially uniformly "and the coal-{stands at practically uniform level "from-end to end, -"and the high piling "of coal at the ends of the hoppers as heretofoi eegzp'erienced, isavoided. Therefore, the two disadvantages previ'oiisly "enumerated, are "overco'n'ie, "and inflso doingI a'm enabled 'touse the shortest 'possible cr'adle for a "car of given length a hopper or' a plurality of hoppers of less size andcapacit than would otherwise be required,

I'n'the drawings, *1 have shown only the preferred "way of accomplishing the *results, and I have illustrated o'pe'n'in'gs 'wh'ose siz'e and location have been found suitable --'for 'given duinper installations operating under 1:110 usual or normal conditions, However, in other installations it maybe 'fo'unddesi'rab'le to vary the size, nuinbei location, or "shape of the openings, as for example, *by extending them outto the 'oute'r edgeof theapron 1515 -plate, 'and furthermore, other Ways of carrying out the principle of-my invention may occur to one skilled in the art, "and 1 therefore do notdesir'e to be confined to theatrrangernents or details illustrated, but"aiin in claim to cover all, modifications which 'do not involve a departure fromthe spirit and scope "of m invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having descri'bed my invention, I claim: *1."Acar'dumper having a rotary cradle "adapte'd'to receive a car, "andan apron plate over {which the material of'the car i's adapted to he passed'in'th'edumpingopertion, said cradle be'in'g' provided with means for causing a partial discharge of material from the car and cradle before the main body of the material passes over the forward edge of the apron.

2. A car dumper comprising a cradle adapted to be turned to dump the cars contents laterally, and means for discharging from the cradle the material located adjacent the ends of the car before the contents of the middle portion of the car is discharged from the car and cradle.

3. A car dumper comprising a cradle adapted to receive a car and to be turned to dump the cars contents laterally, and one or more hoppers beneath the cradle to receive the contents of the car, said cradle being provided With means for causing material from the end portions of the car to be first discharged into the hopper or hoppers.

4:. A car dumper comprising a cradle adapted to receive a car and to be turned about a longitudinal axis, and one or more hoppers beneath the cradle to receive the contents of the car, said cradle being constructed to cause the bottom of the hopper or hoppers to be filled With material passing from the end portions of the car.

5. A car dumper comprising a cradle adapted to receive a car and to be turned about a longitudinal axis, said cradle having an apron plate on the dumping side constructed to cause an earlier discharge of material from the end portions 'of the car than from the middle thereof.

6. A car dumper comprising a cradle adapted to receive a car and to be turned to dump thecars contents laterally, said cradle being provided With an apron plate provided adjacent its ends With openings to permit material from the end portions of the car to pass from the cradle.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto affix my signature.

ARTHUR F. CASE. 

